Dakar update: Coma continues to lead
But his buffer was trimmed by four minutes in stage seven as Joan Barreda returned to his front-running ways on the factory HondaKTM’s Marc Coma still leads the 2014 Dakar rally after stage seven, 38 minutes ahead of Honda’s Joan Barreda.
On a day where the rally entered new territory in the form of Bolivia for the first time, Barreda won the stage by four minutes and three seconds (4:03) over Coma, followed by defending champion Cyril Despres (Yamaha, 5:35), Joan Pedrero (Sherco, 6:57) and Jakub Przygonski (KTM, 8:56).
The route took riders to the famed salt flats of Salar, but before they reached it they had to negotiate a difficult mountain trail. The timed special was in two parts: the first of just over 100km followed by a small neutralized stretch and second timed sector of 161km, which was quite fast.
Added to the challenge, competitors rode at an average of 3500 metres altitude and wound up the day crossing the 20km of great, white expansive salt flat, said to be the biggest in the world – but because of rain was very muddy.
In the overall classification, Coma and Barreda are followed by Jordi Viladoms (KTM< 1.16:03), Alain Duclos (Yamaha, 1.16:35) and Israel Esquerre (Husqvarna, 1.39:29).
Despres is 10th, and the first Aussie is Troy O’Connor (KTM) in 43rd.
Stage Eight takes competitors from the Salar de Uyuni to Calama over 230km liaison and 462km of timed special that makes up the second half of this marathon stage. It takes riders around the 400km salt flat and in the shadow of the Tunupa volcano at a towering 5300 metres altitude.
For results and standings in the 2014 Dakar Rally, click here.
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